Jumping the gun a little, but I'm all worked up. And give me a break on the title; it's late!

Anyway, I had a good day yesterday in that I stayed OP. But I'm still very upset and really need to vent. Hope no one minds. It's OT.

I came home yesterday to a notice in my door saying that my gas had been shut off! I missed ONE month's payment and the total was $124 and they shut it off. No notice, no warning, nothing. Now, it'll cost $124 plus a connection fee of almost $200 AND a deposit of almost $200 -- nearely $500 -- to have it turned back on.

I am at a loss as to what to do. Everyone I know is strapped, and I'm not one to ask for money from anybody. I just spent all that money on my baby's birthday and getting my daughter down to Georgia. I have 25 people coming over on Sunday and no hot water or stove/oven.

Sigh... sorry. I just needed to get it off my chest. I haven't told anyone, because I know they'll be trying to help out even though they can't afford to.

Maggie that is terrible. I hate when companies are so anal like that. Is just a waste of everyone's time and money. I hope you can figure something out in time. If it is anywhere near as hot back in PA as it is here, maybe you could have an outdoor thing? Grill something rather than bake/cook?

I like the title! I am soooo hoping for rain here. The other day it rained for like 6-10 minutes. Absolutely poured-thunder, lightning, the whole shabam. But that was it. Just so hot. You know when you are standing or sitting and you just feel the sweat rolling down your back? Yuck yuck yuck.

I have been in zombie mode all day and I could kick myself for not napping right when I came home. I kept thinking the whole way home and all day long and counting down to my nap. Then I got home and I guess I got a second wind, because I went to more packing and box hunting and now it is 11:30. . .where did my nap go? I wish there were not so many laws and people could just sell things because I would start my own business tomorrow. Well, maybe I would take a few days off first heh. So, tomorrow will be final packing and Friday will be moving out.

I have not been eating healthy lately. . .I never realized what a great thing it was while I was working nights that the food court was closed! This heat, though. . .just the thought of any food or coffee or pop is enough to make my stomach turn. I might get back on track this week, but Sunday if not. Lol will be pretty hard to cheat with a bag of rice, a box of rice krispies, and no pots. *exaggerating*

Good morning! No fair last night. I went 7 points over for the day and used flex. Which I know could have been worse. It probably was b/c I counted 4 points for half a cup of icecream but I didn't measure it I was eating straight from the box. SO it could have been more than 1/2 a cup. I was eating crap while waiting for DH to show up. He got home at 8:45. My daughter hadn't had dinner. I had fed my son fruit and cheese b/c it was too darn hot to cook. Dh still wanted to drag the kids over to the fair. I said no! So he took them to see his mom across the road, hopefully someone over there fed my daughter some dinner. I went upstairs and tried to read but got another headache.

So I guess we are doing the whole fair thing tonight. My whole plan was to go last night then avoid it until Saturday. Now I was over on points last night and if I eat at the fair I will be over on points tonight, then I will have to face all that food again Saturday. I know that in the whole scheme of life I am whining about something so stupid as eating at the fair. But it's just yet another example of how I wait around for my husband until it's too late. It's another college winter formal sitting all dressed up in my velvet dress and pantyhose waiting for so long we miss the dinner and end up eating at McDonalds. Just so he could help his Uncle with some farm thing. His family always comes before our family.

HH-You really need some sleep, but maybe after everything settles down you will feel better. More able to relax.

Maggie-Oh I am so sorry to hear about your gas. They should have at least given you until the next billing cycle. Maybe you will have to do it outside. Or maybe do some stuff ahead at someone ele's house? I feel so bad. You've had a rough week!

Stephanie-Have fun at your hair appointment

Well have a good day ladies. I guess maybe I am just grumpy b/c the people I watch kids for are in the midst of separating and they don't know what they are doing. The mom showed up here yesterday to pick up the kids bawling all over me. I can imagine it's very hard. but they are not thinking of these kids. Two are with the dad, two are with the mom. The little four year old yesterday told me her mom lost her feelings and doesn't want her dad or them anymore.

Then I guess the dad came and got the two little kids at 10:30 last night. So I get up at 5 to be ready when thier mom dropped them off, and instead she stops to tell me they are at thier dad's and he will be bringing just one of them an hour later. I seriously could have used that hour of sleep. I've had a headache for two days.

I just don't want to be in the middle of it. It was an unstable family to begin with. The mom is telling me all this stuff so I will take her side. I am on the kids' side. They need a rational adult in their lives.

Anyway. I have to finish painting and finish cleaning my upstairs before Saturday. Wish me luck. I only have three kids today so maybe I can get something done.

Maggie--I absolutely cannot believe that! How frustrating! But I agree with HH: if you can't get the gas turned back on in time before your party, then I'd go with grilling.

HH--do you think when the weekend rolls around you'll be able to catch up a little on your sleep? Maybe just kind of recharge your batteries? I know what you mean about the heat and rain thing, too. It's so frustrating here because I live near-ish to the Gulf of Mexico, so it's almost always going to rain at around 2 p.m. But it only rains for 6-10 minutes, and then it's done and moves along. Fortunately, though, the other day it rained and dropped the heat from a steady 96-99 degrees to a much better 89-90 degrees, and the humidity from 100% to 70%. So now it's starting to feel a little more bearable and less oppressive. I hope you guys get your break in the weather soon!

Misty--I don't think it's stupid to be concerned about how you're going to eat at the fair. I mean, you're on this plan to make a lifestyle change, so of course you're going to be concerned. Is there a way that you can pack some food just for you and stow it away in a small cooler or even just a brown lunch bag that you could put in a large purse or something? At least that way you can still eat at the fair, but you won't be obligated to eat their deep-fried stuff.

Well, yesterday I did well as far as staying OP. I used only 3 Flex points, which is pretty good, considering I went out to dinner with my sister and dad (he's in town working on a consultation). I kind of feel bad for my dad. He told us last night that he had to leave a little earlier than he expected because he had a bunch of work to do. He had to go back to the hospital he was consulting with early in the morning (which is about an hour and a half away), then go back to his hotel here, pack up, drive back to Atlanta (two and a half hours away) and dump the rental car for his own, drive back home (which is another hour away), then on Friday he has conference calls all day and in the evening, after Mom gets off of work, they're driving back down here (two and a half hours). Saturday we celebrate his birthday. But seriously...that's a lot of driving in just a couple of a days, and a **** of a lot of back-tracking, isn't it? *shakes head* Poor Dad. I hope come Saturday he'll be caught up enough with work to enjoy himself. At least he gets a vacation on Monday--he and Mom are going to LV for his birthday for the week, hehe. Of course, they didn't invite the kids.

I didn't read as much of the Confessio Amantis as I wanted, so I'm not sure I'll make my Friday night completion goal. Which is fine, considering this sucker's in Middle English, lol. Today I'm just going to try to power through it and just see how far I get. I wanted to clean the apartment today in preparation for the parents' arrival, but then again I have all of Friday...and if I do it Friday, that's one day less for it to get messed up again. Ah, the logic of procrastinating.

I can't believe it's already Thursday. I feel like August is flying by, which isn't entirely fair, considering school starts back up in a couple of weeks! That must be why it's flying by. Then again, I'll be happy to be working and getting a paycheck again, haha. Bills are hard to pay when you're not getting paid every month!

Well, I better go. I'm going to have some breakfast and get started on Gower.

Have a great Thursday ladies!
~Amanda

__________________Christmaschallenge!!--lose 10 pounds by 12.25.05

Lifetime Goal!

"Our doubts are traitors, which makes us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."
~Measure for Measure, I.iv.77-79

You know, it just keeps getting better. My daughter's financial aid application was rejected. How's this for a hoot -- I make too much money! Sure as **** doesn't feel that way. So she was dropped from her classes in September. If I can pay half her tuition by Monday, she can start in Sept but now will have to pick from the dregs of whatever classes have space available. I thought about applying for one of those guaranteed loans online, but thank God I talked to someone about it before I did it. The interest alone would have been $244 a month. The idea is you put your car up as collateral. You get the loan and it's due in 30 days. If you can't pay it in 30 days, you just pay the interest and then have another 30 days. Well, I don't have an extra $244 now, so what makes me think I would have it in 30 days? I would lose my car. Or even if I scraped together the $244 next month, I wouldn't be able to make payments on the actual money because the interest is so high. I am soooooo frustrated an angry. Oh, and even if I paid the gas bill today the gas won't be on until Monday anyway. Pardon the French, but s**t! I asked the gas company woman today why they would turn off my gas without notice for a $124 bill. Her response: "We can because this is our disconnect season." Can you believe she said that? She basically admitted that the gas company turns off service in summer, even if your bill is not that high, just because they can an collect the additional "security deposit" and "reconnect fees." Why does it cost so much to reconnect something it takes the flick of a swtich to disconnect. Sorry about the rant, girls. I am about to implode.

I hear you Maggie. It's unjust, and it is corporate America, and it is all about money, and not about the people. I'm a little angry for you, actually. Gimme their number, girlfriend!!!

So this morning my scale said 189 and I nearly wet myself. I know it won't be that way tomorrow, and I know that I should NOT move my slider (remember the armadillo fiasco a few weeks ago?) but it was really nice to see. 189 is #1 past my 10% goal, and #2 past my "no more 90s" goal. Even though I may not record it this week on WI, it is coming. I SAW it.

Oh, man, I'm dizzy thinking about it. Lisa says she can see the difference in me already- others have said the same. I was so irritable last saturday (the day before the TOM from **** hit- on my way to Duluth for vacation, 2 weeks early, white pants and all- that when my mom and my friend told me they could see the difference all I could think was, "Well, I'm not even down to the weight I was last year on the Duluth trip, and I was uncomfortably fat then, so all you're saying is that I'm a little less fat and ugly than I was last week!"

Thankfully, I didn't actually say that to them. And thankfully I do not feel that way about it now. Someone scold me, please.

And here's what I've decided about that guy I like- Since I haven't seen him at the pit, I'm going to have to break my computer so I can call him over to fix it again. Har har. I'm crazy.

((((Maggie)))) Oh my. It sucks. "Oh we can't turn off your gas in the winter, so since you're just a little behind we'll do it now just for good measure" JERKS!!! I know how financial aide can be. I often had to resubmit my FASFA and TAP (TAP is NY state only) ove rand over until tehy got it right. One semester I was $4,000 short. My grandfather cosigned a student loan through the bank for me. You may want to talk to your bank. This loan, unlike federal student loans, collected interest while I was in school, but at reletivley low rate and payments were deffered just like a federal student loan until 6 months after I was out of school. Did you daughter qualify for federal student loans or perkins loans? School can be so frustrating, and teh finacial aide department tends to be very unhelpful.

Lori you crack me up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just call the guy. Easy for me to say since I have never had the you know what to do that kind of thing LOL. Maybe just ask if he might want to hang out.

Get some rest HH!!!

I have eaten poorly today. Oh well. I feel like crud. Like PMS a week late. My whole system is off. Well have a good one everyone

Maggie, I'm so sorry to hear about your rotten day!! My parents always got a PLUS loan in addition to all my regular financial aid. Perhaps you can ask your daughter's financial aid about that. Here's a link from where I work, but it's a federal loan, so you can get them at any institution: